False High?

I would not be asking if this were the first instance like this but I hope someone can give me feedback. I'm T2 on Metformin for a few months and about to start solostar once I pick it up I tested at bedtime tonight - a bit later than usual [waiting up for teenagers is not my favorite] - and after a dinner of roast beef, cheddar cheese and green peppers as my only carbs [on the road - more teens LOL] I had a reading of 240.

I decided the only positive thing I could do was get on the elliptical for a few minutes and see if that helped.

Five minutes of elliptical later and my reading was 143.

Is it possible that they were both right? It seems insanely fast to drop that much. If it is unlikely that the 240 was a 'real' reading what might cause that sort of error? I am regretting not retesting immediately now . . . sigh.

5 replies

Could have been something as easy and a dirty test site. A little stress tossed in and there you go. I usually do test a second time when it seems way out of wack. Was there a long period of time between the tests beyond just the elliptical? I find when I drop, I drop very fast. But I usually feel wonky when it starts to happen.

The basic rule of thumb (gotta be a better term for this given the context)

If it seems weird, waaaaay off definitely do retest. But the retest make sure your hands were cleaned with warm water and you rubbed the finger dry. All kinds of "contamination" that COULD be doing it.

Won't guarantee a better reading always but something that. You look at and go noooo way… cannot hurt to be sure.

Ps a single reading don't make yourself nuts over. Temperature, humidity, possible contamination could maybe be a cause. But regardless one reading… don't make yourself crazy over it. It's a math problem, nothing more. That much that fast something was wrong. As a species/group we'd be dead if sugar dropped that fast. (Can I borrow your ellipticalvjust in case though ; D)

If you were stressed about waiting up for the teens, stress, in and of itself, can cause a BG rise. Retesting might have confirmed one way or the other. When you get a questionable reading, make sure that the spot where you tested was clean before any retesting…food residue could also affect reading. I agree with you that a 100 mg/dl drop in 5 minutes is unlikely.

Thank you for the reply! Yes - I've been working at being more careful about testing - I am so constantly picking up plates/cups [teens again LOL] that I thinkit's always possible that I have a little speck of something on my fingers